Homecoming 2012

September

Derek asked Allyn to the Homecoming dance by taking a little note and wrapping it up into a HUGE ball of plastic wrap.  He used an industrial plastic wrap from the local potato warehouse so his package ended up being about 7x12 in size....all plastic wrap with an occasional candy bar and note of encouragement to keep unwrapping and the final invite to the dance wadded up in the center.  He had the office at the school deliver it to her and after lunch he saw the leftover remnants of plastic cluttering the hallway near her locker.

Allyn response added a new level of crazy to Derek's plastic wrap proposal.  A box was left on our front porch for Derek.  Inside were six more boxes all wrapped with an insane amount of packing tape (good thing he always has a pocket knife with him) and the final box also had a bundle of plastic wrap similar to the one he had delivered to her.

Once he finally got to the center of the plastic wrap there were three wrapped gift boxes.  He started with the first one which had two smaller boxes and an envelope inside with only gum.  The second box had the same treasures in it and the third box held the answer.  Well, an answer of sorts.  He had to actually track her down at the school to get his yes answer.

The boys in the group planned a fun activity date with the girls but were at a loss when it came to choosing a place to eat out.  They wanted to do something fancy but were very cautious of the cost as well realizing that gas money, tuxedo rentals, flowers and dinner were adding up pretty fast.  After waiting a few days for them to come up with their own ideas I volunteered my kitchen.  I couldn't help myself.  After spending the summer planning party after party and ending on a high with Erika's backyard reception and Kate's baby shower I was having serious withdrawals and needed to plan a party, even if it was just the food.  The boys were very excited and grateful.

The boys didn't want to plan the menu but had one request.  Emma is lactose intolerant and could be extremely sick from the food so I needed to plan something specifically for her.  I didn't want her to feel odd about the dinner so I took the extra challenge to make it so that she could eat the entire meal but it would still be palatable for everyone.  It was so worth it to have all the kids enjoy the meal and to hear that Emma was so excited to eat all of the food without worrying about being sick for the rest of the night or the day following.

After spending a few hours at the Riot Zone doing miniature golf and bumper cars they made their way back to our house for dinner.  LeRoy and I took the other boys out while the teens took over the kitchen and game room.  Then Derek delivered everyone to their homes to dress up for the formal part of the date.

Once they were all dressed up they went to the college to have pictures taken by Austin's brother.  He was great to offer is free which saved them the extra $15 cost at the school for one pose.  And he got some fun shots of them.

By the time they were done with pictures it was already 10:30 and they didn't want to pay the $20 fee at the door to dance so they went to the park instead.  They used an iPod and some portable speakers to create their own dance.  Six kids in formal wear dancing in the park drew a crowd and they had college students take a few pictures of them using Derek's iPod.

Hearing them talk about the date later I realized that they probably had more fun at the park and going to Maverik in their formal wear than they would have had among all their peers at the dance.  They had no regrets about their decision, only great fun memories.

Derek & Allyn ~ Michael and Emma ~ Austin and Sierra

Conference Feasting

October 2012

Conference is a tricky event at our house.  I love it.  I can stay awake, take notes and enjoy all 8 hours if I'm completely by myself.  However, this household doesn't sit still for long without falling asleep or busting into silliness so I tried to come up with something that could keep their interest and motivate them to stay for the majority of the talks.  With a house full of boys the answer seemed to be obvious.  FOOD.  Lots of food.  Once Bret and Erika learned what was going on they stayed for the entire weekend.

Each of the four sessions had new munchies to go with it.  The long table was set up downstairs and was divided in half.

On one side there were foods that could be eaten any time and were replenished as necessary.

Nathan and Hyrum were shocked that I let them eat downstairs.  Their favorite was the canned cheese.

Sunday morning was the overall favorite (and was gobbled so fast that I didn't even have time for a picture).  I made Popeye Pancakes (German Pancakes) in muffin tins so that they created little bowls which were then filled with fresh strawberries and topped with whipped cream.  To balance it out we also had breakfast burritos loaded with eggs, sausage, potatoes, cheese and peppers.  A variety of juices and milks completed our conference breakfast.

The other side of the table was filled with treats labeled with apostle pictures.

The guideline was that those who listened to (and, for those able, took notes) would divide the treat with that apostle's picture on it, AFTER the talk.  I explained how it would work and everyone was excited.  It was funny to hear them say, "I can't wait until Elder Oaks speaks!!"  They really wanted those Skittles.

During the first apostle talk Hyrum kept jumping around the room, trying to get the others to talk to him and ignoring the packet of color pages, dot-to-dots, hidden picture pages and puzzles that I had provided to hopefully keep his interest for at least a few minutes.  I kept trying to get him to sit down with me, reminding him of the treat that would come if he would sit and listen for a few minutes.

After the talk was over Derek opened the treat and divided it among those who had listened/taken notes.  Hyrum didn't get one.  Through his tears I pulled him onto my lap and reminded him of the choices he had and that the good consequence for those who had listened was to have the treat and the consequence for those who had not listened was that they didn't get a treat.  As the next talk started I reminded him that he would be able to have the next treat if he would be listen for just a few minutes and invited him to snuggle with me and we could listen together.  After the talk was over he looked up at me with wishful eyes and asked "do I get a treat this time?".  I reviewed with him his behaviour during the first talk and compared it to his behaviour during the second talk and said, yes, he had earned the treat.  With a proud yet humble attitude he hugged me and said "I did repentance, huh, mommy."  He didn't miss out on a treat throughout the rest of the conference.

LeRoy listened to the first session while working upstairs but came down after it was over to cash in on his treats.  Hyrum was the one to remind him that he wasn't reverent or taking notes so he didn't get any treats.  LeRoy didn't miss the rest of the conference either.

Nathan had a combination conference packet with the same games and activities that Hyrum had but also the note taking pages that the rest of us had.  He struggled at first thinking that he had to write full sentences and kept asking me to repeat what was just said or if it was the right thing to write down.  I finally got the message across that all he needed to do was listen and if a word stuck out in his mind he should write it down.

Values. Pray. Scriptures. Teach. Righteous. Missionaries. Worthy. Jesus. Everlasting Happiness.
Obedience. Faithful. Holy Ghost. Peace. Teacher. Serves. Feel his Voice.

After Greg C. Christensen's talk Nathan came over to me and stated with excitement, "I think I can feel the Holy Ghost's voice like he said in his talk 'cause I keep hearing the words I should write in my notes".

We have been using our notes for a conference spotlight in family home evening.  I originally thought that maybe the food had distracted the boys from actually listening to conference but their messages at FHE tell me otherwise.

And every once in a while I hear "I can't wait until conference".

Happy Birthday To LeRoy

Or, Ol' Man, as Levi so affectionately calls him in the same southern accent that LeRoy calls his dad Ol' Man.

LeRoy's all time favorite candy has not changed in the twenty-two years that I've known him so I figured it was about time I make him a Reese's Peanut Butter cake.  I searched All Recipes until I found a peanut butter cake and frosting with raving reviews and topped it all off with mini Reese's cups.  Though he couldn't say it because his mouth was glued shut with peanut butter, he was very happy with his cake.

After he made his birthday wish and blew out the lone candle the kids teased him that he was wishing extra hard not to lose the last few hairs on his head and that he was only allowed one candle because we didn't want to burn the house down.
 

All those years of LeRoy teasing his dad about being old and bald are starting to catch up with him. At least LeRoy takes it in good stride knowing that the kids learned it from hearing the way he torments his own dad.

Hit and Run

October 2012

After an evening of games and the usual "hanging out", Derek, Jacob, Nathan, Sierra and Allyn all loaded up in our teenager car so that Derek could taxi them home.  This takes about 45 minutes because they all live in the rural suburbs of Rexburg (Hibbard, Burton, Lymon, Egin).  All of these small town country roads are surrounded by fields and cows.

On the dark, empty road on the way to Jacob's house they were cruising along just fine and suddenly a cow ran across the road. Luckily, (for the kids and car, not the cow) Derek swerved just hard enough to stay on the road and miss the body of the cow.  However, the driver side door, mirror and window still smacked the poor milker in the face and neck.  As Derek explains it, that 10 seconds seemed to run in slow motion with everyone screaming and leaning to one side, the car swerving with gravel flying, big bulging cow eyes staring at him in the driver's window and a massive tongue smearing across his door window.

While the car full of terrified kids sat at the edge of the road trying to catch their breath and stop shaking, the dazed cow ran off.  We were so grateful that the only damage consisted of a busted mirror, a dented squeaking door and a gross slobber mark across the window instead of any injuries to the kids.

Sierra and Allyn fixed the mirror for him.

A few days later Derek walked out of the school to find the car covered in dry erase cow spots and warnings of "beware of cow" and "caution: cows" and "eat more chicken" written on the windows.

Now it's referred to not as the Malibu or Teen Car but the Cow Car.

The Pillow Fort

The cold weather was forcing the boys to play inside but they were really missing their fort outside so we made some plans and built them an indoor fort.  We started with a trip to Walmart to find a cheap flat sheet to make curtains and the least expensive pillows and  pillow cases we could find for the comfy part of our fort project.

We put Nathan's bed up in the loft area and moved Hyrum's bed from under the loft over to the other wall.    Then the boys used a tape measure to tell me how long the curtains needed to be, waited patiently while I hemmed the raw edges and then helped me tack them up.  We hung a string of Christmas icicle lights along the wall to give them some light when it gets dark (4:30 in the afternoon during winter).

Once we had the "walls" up we were on to the next part. They stood right next to me, complimenting my sewing, while I sewed the pillow cases together to make body pillows for each of them.

  

Their body pillows fit nicely in their fort giving them each a space for reading and watching a movie on the mini DVD player that we set up at the open end of the fort.

There is also room left at the open end for them to play games and eat their movie snacks.

I thought they were excited about the new fort because they had spent at least three solid hours reading, watching, and playing in it but when I told them they could actually spend the night in it they started jumping up and down, hugged me over and over again and declaring that this was "the best day EVER".

Once it was time to actually go to sleep we turned off the Christmas lights and plugged in their nightlight. 

After spending nearly an hour talking about their "awesome" day and having some brotherly chat time (which is so entertaining to listen to) they started to doze off to sleep.  As I stuck my head in to say one last goodnight they groggily got up again to give me even more hugs with sweet declarations of "you're the bestest mom in the whole wide world" (Nathan)  and "I love you a thousand hundred fifty" (Hyrum). It was so much fun planning, creating and playing with my little boys.  Goodnight my little men ♥

1 flat sheet - $2.50

6 pillowcases and 6 pillows - $25

Hugs and Affection at the end of the day - PRICELESS

Summer Olympics 2012

The track races and swimming inspired Nathan and Hyrum to become mini-Olympians.

They did their long jump down the stairs.

Nathan would start the run at the end of the hallway by the bathroom and fly from the top of the stairs to land in the cushions.  Hyrum would start at the end of the hallway, run to the top of the stairs, stop, step down two steps and then jump.  He just barely made it too the cushions and I cringed every time. 

When I first saw this my protective mother instinct wanted to stop them but many of the Olympic commercials were in honor of the mothers who helped the Olympians reach their full potential so I had to let it be . . . just in case I have a future Olympian in the making.

Hyrum wanted to be a swimmer so I filled my six foot tub and let him at it.  He slid down the slippery back, splashing all the way to the faucet (I wouldn't let him "dive") and he spun around in the bubbles and he had me count to see how long he could hold his breath under the water.  When he tired out a bit we drained the tub just enough so that he could lay in the bubbles with only his eyes and nose out of the water (his request).  

The best part of this was that he insisted on doing it in his shorts just like the "real swimmer guys".  He was a little disappointed to not have a cap and goggles but I promised him that when he went to the real Olympics I would get him some.

The boys even came up with their own medal podium.  Using the couch cushions as a makeshift ladder they would climb on the stairway shelf and proudly give each other recognition.  I was so proud to hear their version of the national anthem.  

For The First Time. . .

October 2012

I love October for the cool weather, the fall leaves, and the fall decorations but I have a really hard time with the dark sky, the dark mornings, the dark evenings, and the overall feel that things are dying.  I even feel like I am somehow dying.  Or maybe just packing away the summer me to ready myself for winter hibernation.  I really wanted October to be different this year.  October leads to November and I have hated November for many, many years.  I can pin point a few reasons but mostly, it's all in my head.  So, in an attempt to better October and thus lead into November with a better head, I tried a few new things.

I received a random clothing magazine in the mail from a company I had never heard of and sat in a bored moment to take a look.  Most of the stuff would qualify for a cocktail party and a much more flattering body than mine but there were a couple of items that caught my eye.   I wanted to try something completely different from anything I had worn before.  First, I checked out the return policy since I had NEVER ordered clothing for myself online.  Oh, and I was looking for a winter coat.  Jacket. Whatever.  Something light weight enough that I wouldn't die of a heat stroke while grocery shopping but heavy enough to block out enough winter wind that I wouldn't freeze to death going from the car to my destination.  I thought I had found what I wanted.

And I waited two weeks to order.  The prices weren't holding me back - they were actually very good deals.  It was my October head setting in.

What if I didn't like it?  What a pain to send it back! What if they didn't fit?  What if I just look stupid in that shirt?  Is the jacket really me?

After two weeks of putting up with that nagging negative voice in my head I played devil's advocate for myself.  What if I did like them?  What if they did fit?  What if I looked really great in them?  Who am I that a basic solid colored jacket couldn't be me?

They fit!  They look good!  I like them!  I like green eggs and ham!  I like them Sam I Am!!
(I need to learn how to do that sexy pose and hold my lips just right and grow my hair out about six inches longer and get a padded bra . . . then I'll take pictures.)

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While planning Erika's wedding I got sucked into the Pinterest trap. To take a breather from wedding plans I started pinning recipes.

I mostly just did recipes for me, things that the kids would gag at the idea of because of the use of so many vegetables.  Near the end of September I decided to actually try some of these pinned recipes for family meals.  Some have really flopped.  Just because something has been pinned a million times does not mean it is a good recipe.  Others, weren't too bad.  A few have been great and will be used over and over again.

One for me . . .

Apple Green Drink was called a Detox Smoothie but, since I don't care to do a detox and it is really just a drink not a smoothie, I renamed it.  Technically, this is not the first green drink I have tried.  I remember summers in Yost when Mom and Buddy would make us gag down a glass of their thick, grass smelling concoction before we could go play.  Here I am torturing myself with another healthy green drink.  Pinterest made me do it.  And, my peaked interest at how so many random ingredients could possibly make something tasteful got the better of me. So, this is the first green drink that I chose to make and drink without a parent standing over me.  I have to admit, it’s not bad.  It’s almost good.  Good enough that I make one almost every morning now.  I don’t love it but I like it and I especially like the nutritional value.


One for the kids . . .

I've tried to make home made granola bars before but the kids are never thrilled with them. This time, I found one they love.  My kids are a bit addicted to granola bars but every time I buy them I cringe because of the cost and the ingredients.  I realize these homemade bars don't necessarily fall into the healthy category but they are healthier than what we have been buying.  I like the fact that they contain no high fructose corn syrup and that I can pronounce all of the ingredients.  I like making them in my own kitchen instead of wondering if they were formulated in a chemistry lab.  The kids like it that one batch makes about 25 bars and that I leave a tub of them in the pantry for the taking (except when it's close to dinner time - one of my pet peeves).

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I made my very first 911 call yesterday.  It wasn't an emergency but at least I meant to call instead of apologizing to dispatch after one of my toddlers called by accident.  I was taking Nathan to Tae Kwan Do and was behind a super slow car.  We were late, of course, so I took a different route to get into town.  This took me to the Salem Highway, which turns into Main Street in Rexburg.  As I stopped at the intersection with the highway I could see that the stop sign across the street was laying in the grass.  The post had been snapped in half (wind? kids?).

My mind took it's usual worse-case-scenario detour and I could picture Derek coming from the high school to this intersection and going right through it without stopping and being slammed into by a truck going 55-65 mph as it hit him.  I didn't even hesitate. I called 911.  Now, there is a recorded message of me reporting a stop sign and giving specific details of the intersection, the description of the stop sign and a brief description of why I was so concerned.  I'm almost famous.  Or just a good citizen. The lady on the end of the call probably thought I was a drama queen for my over-concerned imagination. An hour later I took the same route home and there at the intersection stood a miniature stop sign protecting drivers from what my mind made up.

After calling 911 I went to Walmart while Nathan was in class.  I admit, I was distracted.  I pulled into a parking spot and reached down to get my wallet and list off the floor.  In my peripheral vision I could see the car next to us backing out.  Or so I thought.  It was really me moving moving forward which ended with a whump as I rolled into the car facing me. That's a first!

"Kimberly Jo" I chided myself.  I backed up a couple feet, put the van in park this time and got out to assess the damage.  Not a bump, scratch, paint transfer, dent, or sign of my stupidity.  The dust had not even been brushed off the bumper - theirs or mine.  The truly embarrassing part was when Hyrum asked "why did you hit that car, mom?" while walking in the front doors of Walmart.  With heads turning to look at me I just kept walking, innocent as ....well, not innocent at all.

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A couple of years ago I started making birthday cakes.  Well, I had always made birthday cakes but in an effort to get through the middle-of-the-winter blues I taught myself how to make and use fondant, how to use frosting tips, and how to create theme cakes for each of the family birthdays.  I started in January for Levi, February for Justin, March for Hyrum and April for Nathan.

All of this led to making my very first wedding cake. Erika and I designed it and, after having major fondant trouble and going with butter cream frosting instead, we pulled it off. I had only used and perfected my skills with fondant in the cold months and the 85+ degree weather really messed things up.

Derek figured that if I could do all those birthday cakes and make a wedding cake that I was ready to take orders.  Along with a couple of friends, he was planning a surprise birthday party for a girl.  When they researched cakes and how much it would cost to order one he had the brilliant idea to offer my services.

I had only met Sierra while we were in Disneyland with the orchestra and the party planners didn't give me any suggestions or ideas for the cake so I took creative liberty and did my own.  I used a new chocolate cake recipe (tried it the night before and tweaked it for the final product) and a new chocolate frosting recipe that was supposed to be easier to work with than traditional butter cream.  I had SO much fun!!  Derek was giddy like a girl when he saw it and was so excited to show the others.  When I saw Sierra the next day she raved about it, professing her love for the marshmallow flowers and the moist chocolate cake that she finished for breakfast.

This cake didn't cost the party planners anything because I already had all the ingredients for the cake, the frosting, the flowers, and even had the sprinkles and cake round in the cupboard.  It was a much better price (and flavor) than an Albertson's cake would have been.

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I still have one week left in October.  With the weekend trip I have coming up and the primary program on Sunday and the parties at the schools I think this will be the first October in several years that I really enjoy.

Summer Fun 2012

A New Man
At the beginning of the summer Levi moved back home.  Since most of his friends has moved to Utah or California he started hanging out with some friends that he used to hang out with in middle school.  Since most of the boys had already left on missions Levi was left to hang out with a bunch of girls.  He didn't seem to mind.  They took him shopping for a new wardrobe and convinced him to get a haircut.  I quite like his new look, though I have to admit his curls had started to grow on me.

During one of his show-off moments I started taking pictures of him and it's the first time since he was a senior that he didn't try to take the camera away from me.  I think he likes his new look as well.  I was really surprised when he picked up Justin's violin and started playing.  It has been good to have him home this summer.

Chemistry 101
Using an old molecule set, Derek helped the boys create magic crowns.

Hyrum was convinced that his crown gave him the power to shoot fire and that it made him go "super speed".
Nathan used the powers from his crown to move things with only his eyes.


Chalk Art
I love having my kids home for the summer but it does become a challenge keeping up with the office when all I want to do is hang out with them. On one particular day I absolutely could not put the office off any longer but I knew that in order to make the day go smooth for all of us I had to come up with something for the little boys to do or they would be in and out of the house and my office all day long. The boys thought I was kidding when I walked them out to the trampoline, gave them a box of sidewalk chalk and told them to draw pictures for me. They took it seriously and after nearly an hour of jumping, drawing and distractions they came to get me to see their works of art.  

They were even more excited when I then had them put on their swim trunks and put the sprinkler under the trampoline to wash off the chalk.  The automatic sprinklers would have done the job during the night but I was almost done with the office and needed a bit more time.  After a few hours in the summer sun and a sprinkler shower they were ready for some quiet time which accidentally led to naps and by the time they woke up the office was caught up enough that I could spend the rest of the day with them.


Movie Night
We have a huge basement with a two very comfy couches and super sized flat screen TV but for some reason my boys really like it when I offer a movie night in my room.  We gather up all our pillows and blankets and even drag up the bean bag from the basement. Once we have all been situated comfortably on the floor or bed we munch away on our snacks (which this time happened to be cherry tomatoes) while enjoying the simplicity of the ancient, small TV.

Derek and Harrison evidently weren't that interested in the show.

Cabin Retreat

July 20th, 2012

LeRoy and I were invited to a cabin retreat with some of the people we traveled to Hawaii with.  It was going to be a brief training session with good food and plenty of relaxation.

The cabin was set back in the mountains at the east side of Blackfoot.  When I first heard of the location I thought it was just going to be some out of town cabin but this was a serious mountain ride to a real hide away.  They weren't kidding when they said we had to have a truck to get up there.

We were the first ones there (with the couple that we took up with us) so we had the first choice of which rooms we would stay in.  This was no small cabin.  Fifteen bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, three stories tall.  After our discussion took on a Three Bears detour, we chose a basement bedroom that walked out to ground level.  The top floor had the pool table and that would be too loud.  The main level had the kitchen and that would be too tempting.  The basement was quiet and cool.  It was just right.

Friday evening was all about food and mingling.  Saturday morning we worked together to make a delicious breakfast and then split up to take our own personal time for hiking.  Some stayed behind because of knee and  hip pains and some stayed close to the cabin.

LeRoy and I took an hour hike through trails and hills until we reached the top of the closet peak and could look out over the valley.  It was wonderful!  I was having such a good time enjoying the birds and butterflies and trees and streams that I forgot to pay attention to LeRoy.  By the time we met up with another couple on the way back to the cabin they noticed he was walking a bit more sore than when he left.

A few highlights:

1 - LeRoy was excited to see the solar panels and generators that ran everything up there.  While the others were reading over instructions of how to hook up the solar power and when to have the generator on, LeRoy climbed up the hill and started it all.

2 - In the email invitation that we received we were told to bring our swimming suits because there was a pool there.  I didn't bother taking a swim suit because I don't play in water but LeRoy double checked to make sure he had his swimming trunks.  We all had a good laugh when we saw the blue back yard pool that was empty.  Oh, sure, they could drag the hose down to fill it up but their bubble of excitement was already burst.

3 - The steps on the porch were very exciting.  Well, actually, the bear claw tracks on the porch were exciting.  I was really hoping to see a bear while we were there but alas, I only got to look at the bear rug draped over the balcony.

4 - Guilt Free Nap Time.  I found this picture on my camera when I got home.  Evidently, my Kindle was about to fall to the floor so LeRoy put it on the back of the couch and took a picture. No kids, no cleaning, no electronics, no phone, no current responsibilities?  What a perfect opportunity to fall asleep to a good book!

5 - I loved being in a place with no cell phone service.  There was a radio there with instruction that we could use if we really needed help but the only cell service was standing in one certain place after a hike up the hill.  Yes, LeRoy found the only place that had service.  He was a little panicked knowing that his phone was out of commission but I quite enjoyed it.

The Piano Guys

July 14, 2012

We had spent almost a year trying to get to a Piano Guys concert and finally had tickets for a December 2011 show.  Before purchasing the tickets I checked the school calendar, family calendar and LeRoy's calendar (which does run somewhat separate from any other calendar) to make sure that we would be able to make it.  Derek, Justin, Vivien and I were so excited to be going!!  But it was not meant to be, yet.

We found out about a week before the concert that Derek's high school orchestra concert was being rescheduled to accommodate the school choir and it would now be held the same night as our Piano Guys concert.  Derek was SO frustrated that he left the orchestra class without permission so that he could call me.  I told him that I would leave the choice up to him.  He could talk to Mr. Hansen about missing the school concert (because Mr. Hansen is also a big fan of the Piano Guys) or we would try to pass the tickets on to someone else and hope to make the concert another time.  Derek went back to class, finished the school day and thought over his options.  I searched the web hoping to find another Piano Guys concert and nothing was booked in our area (Idaho/close Utah).  Steven Nelson (the oh-so-amazing cello player) was going to be doing a tour in China so there were no upcoming concerts for 2012 after April.

When Derek got home from school he was in a grouchy mood and I have to admit, so was I.  I was frustrated with the choir instructor who thought he could change the whole schedule for the choir and orchestra with only a week notice; I was frustrated with myself for telling the kids about the tickets because I had intended to keep it a secret and just take them on a surprise date with me and if I had done that Derek wouldn't be so upset.  After a few days thinking it over, Derek decided that he would stay for his own school concert.  In his own words, "If Steven Sharp Nelson had a concert he would be there, so I will be at mine".  I was so proud and so hurt for him.  We were able to give the tickets to some friends that we knew would enjoy and appreciate the concert just as much as we would have and their thank you back was to give Derek the newly released Piano Guys first CD signed by Steven Nelson.  Derek was not only thrilled with the CD, he was surprised to think that our friends would stand in line to get it autographed directly to him.  For the next few weeks he fell asleep listening to that CD and it was the only thing that played in the car for quite awhile.

After this experience I realized how much Derek really wanted to meet Steven.  He has inspired Derek to write his own cello songs and record them.  Derek has purchased and practiced the few arrangements that Steven has listed for sale on his website.  Derek loves the cello.  He wants to play an electric cello and pound on a metal cello all because of Steven.

So, I became a Piano Guys stalker and it paid off.  Steven's China tour was cancelled and the Piano Guys started adding more concerts. I purchased tickets for a July concert in Sandy, Utah and took a printed copy of the receipt to Derek's school to have it delivered to him in class and then posted it on facebook so that Justin would see it.  It was fun to surprise the boys in a unique way for each of them.

We drove to Utah on July 13th with the stereo pumping up our excitement as it played Derek's autographed CD.  As we got to Malad a big rain storm hit.  By Brigham City we were worried about being blown off the road.  Utah was a windy, rainy mess and here we were headed to an outdoor concert.  However, we were not going to let this get us down.  Come rain or wind we were going to this concert.  As long as they would perform, we would be there.

Finally!!!  Waiting for the concert to start.  We were concerned about our seats when we first got there because the sun was right in our eyes and we couldn't see the stage because of the glare.  The usher assured us that by the time the concert started the sun would be in the perfect position for a beautiful sunset concert, wind and rain free. She was right.  Just as it started the sun had moved down far enough that we could see perfectly.

We were a few rows back and on the side that the cello was on.  Perfect seating!  Though the group is called the Piano Guys, we were totally fixated on the cello guy the whole time.  

At the end of the concert we got to meet all five of the Piano Guys and they performed a new song that they had just recorded the night before.  All of them were on the piano plucking, playing, pounding and it was awesome.  The next week they released the new video online and it was cool to watch the video and see the same stage that we had just watched them on.

The next morning we went to church with Mike and Kate and their boys and Kellie and her kids.  Kellie's family had just moved back from Columbia (minus Shawn who had to stay behind in Virginia for work) and it had been almost a year since we had seen them.  Hailey immediately took to Derek.

He carried her to church and she sat on his lap all through Sacrament Meeting.  After church she would wander around the house calling out in her sweet voice, "where's Derek" until she found him.  I love being with my sisters and watching all of our kids hang out together making memories.